Plate 11 Workbench To Debut New Benchcrafted Leg Vise At WIA!

BenchCrafted just released some awesome new hardware and Plate 11 Workbench will have it at Woodworking In America!

It seems Jameel and the rest of the family over at BenchCrafted have always got something new in the works. The latest innovation to hit the market is the new Glide Leg Vise.

This vise has several great new features. The most obvious change is the new look. BenchCrafted has moved the knob from the face of the handwheel to the outside edge and added two extra knobs. The three knobs spaced evenly around the outside edge give the vise the look of a small ships wheel. The new design reduces the profile of vise, which addresses the only thing I could ever find to complain about in previous versions. The new look also means there’s always a knob between 10:00 and 2:00, which makes using the vise even more convenient.

They’ve also outfitted the new Glide with a double-lead screw. This vise is fast! Twice as fast as the original, and I’d put it up against a quick-release any day. I can quickly and easily move it through its full range of motion with one spin. I regularly work on bench legs that measure 5″ x 3″ and having the ability to rotate the leg 90 degrees in the vise with nothing more than two flicks of the wrist is incredibly convenient. The action of the vise is so smooth, the first few times I did this, I found that the wheel was still spinning away from the bench when I reached to tighten it back onto the leg. I actually had to teach myself to spin the wheel with less effort.

As a bench builder I found the vise easier to install than the original glide (as long as you have a drill press or an expansive bit for your brace). They’ve switched the acetal bushing that gets recessed into the front of the leg from square to round, which means less chopping by hand if you own the aforementioned tools. The screws that mount the nut to the back of leg and the acetal bushing into its recess now have slotted heads, which will please the purists out there. I don’t particularly care for slotted screws in general (probably because I don’t own a decent screwdriver), but the black blended in nicely with the bushing, so I used them there. For the nut I scrounged up something a little shinier that I could drive with a cordless.

The largest consideration you have to keep in mind when installing the new Glide in your bench is the height of the screw (I alluded to this in my previous post). The new knobs add to the diameter of the wheel, which means you’ve really got to make sure the screw is far enough below the top of the bench. I’d recommend a minimum of 7″, but 8″ or more would be better. I failed to take this into account on my first install and I’ll be building a new bench base because of it.

The vise is more expensive than the current Glide, by about $40, but they’re also coming out with a non-machined version that will function exactly the same and look more like their Moxon vise handwheels. This version will be less expensive than the current Glide, by about $30. You can confirm pricing on the BenchCrafted website here.

If you’d like to see this new vise in action, I’ve been working feverishly for the last month (seriously, I was pretty sick) to complete a pair of Split-Top Roubo’s to bring to this year’s WIA Conference. This first is complete and was made to order for Chris at Sterling Tool Works. He’ll be demonstrating his tools, the bench, and the new hardware in his booth. The second bench is still in process here at my shop, but it will be available to try out and purchase in my booth at the show. Both workbenches will be outfitted with the new Glide!

If you’d like to see photos from the build you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @MarkBuildsIt. There’s already a video on my Instagram account, though the edge of the handwheel is covered in “protective tape” to disguise the new design. I’ll be posting a new video with knobs installed soon.